


Dinner for two please

by Soupreme



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:55:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27599891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soupreme/pseuds/Soupreme
Summary: Ainya plans a great date for Crystal and it goes entirely according to plan 100%!
Relationships: Au Ra Characters/Miqo'te Characters (Final Fantasy XIV)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	Dinner for two please

“Brrr… This wind is almost as bad as Ishgard…” Ainya grumbled to herself out in the chilly evening Shirogane air. 

Glancing down, the breath billowing from between her lips reaffirmed how frigid, right down to the tippy tip of her tail. The suit she was wearing did little to break the wind, expectedly so, the scarf and mittens she wore were her only saving grace from becoming a Miqo’te popsicle. She was sure of it.

Despite that, as she patiently waited for her girlfriend to ready herself in her lofty Ward 2 apartment, her multicolored eyes scanned the nightlife of Shirogane and admired its vibrant coloring. If she was cold and rigid, the lights and liveliness of the city surrounding her could almost warm her core on its own. Hell, even the park square she sat at was lit up by festive lights strung up through the trees and a sabotender statue welcoming visitors to the apartment building that loomed atop the hillside.

It was these reasons, even though Ainya lived in the cushy floral landscape of the Lavender Beds of Gridania, that she enjoyed meeting up here. Shirogane always gave her this air of wonder and whimsy, much like the gold saucer had done when she was a child. Well, that and her girlfriend were here. Like she really needed a reason other than that.

“Sorry for the wait! It took a millennia to get my horns as nice as I'd like them... How do I look?”

Taken from her train of thought rather abruptly, the Miqo’te fumbled to compose herself. When she did and glanced her partner up and down, however, she was floored. This might be the most composed she had ever seen her look, and they had been to gala balls with queen Nanamo before. 

Just like she said, her horns were glimmering with shine from the lights overhead. She must have polished them for hours, and the care she had put into her makeup was like nothing she had ever seen. She didn’t think she had ever seen her wearing blush like this, coupled with lipstick that further impassioned her fiery eyes and detailed eyeliner having the same effect.   
  
She was stunning, and Ainya could barely keep her jaw from hitting the ground.

“Y-you look marvelous! Honestly, you put me to shame with how much effort you went to. This isn’t even my nicest suit for crying out loud…” Ainya praised, trailing her words off as her girlfriend approached her and enveloped her in a massive hug.

“Oh shush, you look plenty dashing. If we weren’t going out right now then I’d probably have too…” Crystal looked her up and down, their eyes meeting and making Ainya blush furiously.   
  
“Smooth talker as always! You’ve warmed me up a fair amount to say the least, shall we head off to enjoy our evening in style then?”

“Lead the way oh Warrior of Light, where shall we be dining?”   
  
Crystal’s voice had a cheeky tone to it as if she was a princess waiting to be catered on. That crimson dress she wore certainly made her look the part. Ainya just smirked at her and interlocked their hands, leading her towards the main square of the district.

Truth be told, Ainya hadn’t really thought this far. She had a few smaller places in mind, but the way the two of them looked together she figured Crystal would expect something much more akin to a restaurant like “Mille Dollari”, an Italian restaurant that they would frequent quite often on payday. 

“Anywhere your heart desires. You name it, we go there. We don’t get to dress fancy often so let's treat ourselves a little hmm?” Ainya replied. However, upon saying that and reaching into her Gil pouch wound around her hip, her expectations flatlined. It wasn’t empty per-se, but market boards were slow on the weekend, and the boy had it been a long time since they had gotten a payment parcel from the scions.

She wasn’t broke but walking through this decadent street dressed as they were, she might as well have been.

“Well…” Crystal hummed, deep in thought. “How about that new Elezen cuisine place that opened up last week? I’ve heard from around that their Mun-Tuy bean salad is to die for.”

Ainya felt a pit in her stomach. No way she could tell her girlfriend she was dead broke on their special night out. God that investment on minerals she had made days prior looked so foolish in hindsight. She figured they’d have sold by now! But alas, now there was an awkward silence between the two as Ainya focused on what to say next.

“O-oh yes that place would be good… But how about maybe somewhere a little more local. Princess Killifish is my favorite from that one place we go to… I can’t remember the name.”

  
Ainya stuttered over her words, trying to make her rather ordinary choice sound appealing even though it was the total converse of offering Crystal the choice of where to eat. The two of them gracefully walking through the lantern-lit streets. They approached a plaza in which passersby folks of all races were walking intermixed with each other from storefront to storefront. 

  
Ainya was an awful liar, always had been, so it took literal seconds for Crystal to tell something was up. Pulling her to the side and out of the walking pathway, Crystal looked Ainya deep in her eyes with a rather concerned glare.   
  
“But we went there just last week Ainya! I know Killifish is delicious and all but why such a basic pick? Elezen food really not that appealing to you?”

“Oh, gods not at all! I was just throwing my hat in the metaphorical ring, if that’s your choice then I humbly oblige!”

Stupid. Why was she lying to such an endearing face?! More importantly: how was she going to weasel her way out of this one? Crystal knew exactly where to go, so she smiled back at her lover and turned, leading her left and through the busy market plaza off to their restaurant of choice.

It wasn’t far to the destination, but every footstep felt closer to the end for the Miqo’te. This was grade A levels of embarrassing. Break-up worthy even.They approached and were greeted by a young elezen fellow wearing a dapper red vest and black pants, cheerfully smiling at the well-dressed couple. All the while Ainya was wondering what it would take for this kid to let her in. Her rings maybe? The choker she had gotten from The Palace of the Dead? That had to hold some value right?

“Evening!” The waiter said with a chipper demeanor. “Our finest table for two for a couple dressed as elegantly as yourselves?”

“You look rather prim and proper yourself sir. We would indeed like a table, the finest you’ve got available please.” Crystal responded to the boy, looking for Ainya to confirm her statements. Realizing her situation was as auspicious as it could be, the blonde nodded her head reluctantly, averting her gaze to the ground. 

It’s like she was being led to the gallows by her own significant other… and a waiter. Every prior moment she had to say something, squandered now, weighed on her heavier and heavier with each step they took into the eatery. Up a flight of stairs, they climbed, arriving at a table for two on a private balcony overlooking the bridge and square down below. The table itself was trimmed with gold and silver, and an elegant centerpiece candle intersected two menus that rested on either side for them to pick up.

“Your server will be with you shortly, please have a seat here.” The waiter ushered them into their chairs, before bowing and making his leave back down the stairs.

Maybe Ainya was overthinking this whole situation. Maybe Crystal wouldn’t even care and this whole night could be choked up to one great big accident. But the endearing look she was giving her, head in her palms lovingly staring at her. The audaciousness of this night on her part was the majority of the reason she was getting those infatuated looks. Crystal loved when Ainya did the little thoughtful and special things, like plan dates for the two of them. To cancel now would be…

“You going to order darling? You look like you’ve seen a ghost, what’s wrong?” Crystal reached a handout and placed it on Ainyas. Her hands were warm. Soft. Like she could feel their mana’s intertwining together just by contact. It was too much, and the lies had gone on long enough.

“Crystal… There’s something I must tell you.”

\----

Ainya sighed, forlorn on the grass in front of her free company house in the Lavender Beds of Gridania with her arms spread wide. She knew the grass wouldn’t be good for her suit, but at this point she really didn’t care. After admitting to Crystal she was flat broke, destroying any and all plans they might have had for the night ahead of them, she just ran off out of the restaurant, teleporting to the only place she felt she could hide. Crystal’s disappointed face still etched itself into her mind, like it was haunting her for being so reckless. Both making plans, and with her spending…

The air was chilly, even more so than before when she was waiting. No voices could be heard anymore, as the night crept on. There was hardly even any light pollution where she had chosen to contemplate her thoughts. Perfect place to lay down and die after making such a total embarrassment of herself. 

“I had a feeling I’d find you here,” Crystal said, voice cutting through the silence like a dagger into her now perked up ears.

Ainya shot up from where she was laying, almost excited to see her lover, before remembering why she had been agonizing in the first place. So she wrapped her arms around her knees and said nothing, just continued to sulk. This wasn’t going to be a fun conversation.

But Crystal didn’t say anything either, instead of taking her spot next to Ainya, brushing her dress underneath her bottom as she sat down. She glanced endearingly at her until the Miqo’te noticed her gaze and stared back. Was she...not mad?

Her internal question was quickly answered when Crystal reached over and patted her on the head, ruffling her golden locks up suitably to match her disheveled state. 

“It’s funny. Remember a few days ago? When you asked me if I wanted to go on a date with you? I had something much more akin to this in mind.”

She leaned back, glancing up at the Gridanian sky in all its star-studded glory. Ainya couldn’t believe her ears. Could it really have been this simple the whole time?   
  
“S-so you’re not angry about what went down earlier?” Ainya stuttered nervously.

“If I was angry, I wouldn’t be here sitting next to you darling.” Crystal scooched herself closer, wrapping her arm around the blonde’s waist. “But that was pretty awkward huh? We probably shouldn’t go back there. You know, when you take me on our make-up date.”

Ainya couldn’t help but giggle. All the weight had just been lifted off her shoulders after all, and if Crystal could crack jokes about the situation then nothing to worry about. Her arm reached around Crystal’s waist in return, and she happily laid her head down upon her girlfriend’s shoulder.

“Thanks, Crystal. You really are one of a kind.” Ainya said, savoring the moment before asking another question. “So… What now then? Do we just sit here and stare at the stars?”

“Well, I’m comfy here. You seem to be as well. Seems like fun to me! We can enjoy this nightlife together, only this time with less noise and a little more of… Each other.”

Crystal pulled Ainya closer as her sentence finished, and it sent chills down her spine. The way she spoke, like each word was writing music in Ainya’s ears, making such a mundane activity sound so appealing was a trait only Crystal could bring to her life. Even now, the coolness of the night had been replaced almost entirely by the warmth of Crystal’s hug. Like a light in the dark. 

“Okay fine, but I’m no Astronomer, so forgive me if I just ramble on about stories. I'm sure you won't mind.” 

Crystal just giggled and squished her girlfriend’s side. “No worries, I’d prefer it actually. The stars are nice but… I’d much rather look at you anyhow.” 

So the two settled in, chatting back and forth about things that had happened in their day, upcoming quests in store for them, eventually devolving into simply asking questions to one another illuminated by the pale moonlight. Not a care in the world, the nighttime passed them by, just as the memory of Ainya’s empty wallet had, replaced by the loving embrace of the other as they enjoyed their remedied idea of a ‘perfect date.’

At least until Ainya had to buy breakfast the next morning.

**Author's Note:**

> Ainya please learn to save Gil. That is all.


End file.
